A study inspired by the Japanese paper-cutting art provides a blueprint for designing shape-shifting materials and devices.

A new system enables makers to incorporate sensors into gears and other rotational mechanisms with just one pass in a 3D printer.

A new algorithm for automatic assembly of products is accurate, efficient, and generalizable to a wide range of complex real-world assemblies.

This computational tool can generate an optimal design for a complex fluidic device such as a combustion engine or a hydraulic pump.

Writing for The Hill, Prof. Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL, explores how automation could ease the supply chain crisis. “Automation in these settings doesn’t mean replacing employees, but developing more robust inventory management software and using systems like scanners and conveyors that make our jobs easier,” writes Rus. “This would enable warehouse workers to focus on other more detail-oriented roles, from overseeing the operation of forklifts to improving the efficiencies of distribution centers.”

This new generation of GelSight’s mobile device offers a sleek form-factor that is one-third lighter and less than half the volume of its predecessor, allowing it to scan surfaces in tighter spaces, while maintaining accuracy, speed, and field of view.

A new machine-learning system costs less, generates less waste, and can be more innovative than manual discovery methods.

“SensiCut,” a smart material-sensing platform for laser cutters, can differentiate between 30 materials commonly found in makerspaces and workshops.

“Programmable matter” technique could enable product designers to churn out prototypes with ease.